Friday, April 19, 2024

Friday, April 19, 2024

  The plan was to walk on Ali’i Drive, the first commercial street in Kona and the center of tourist traffic now. I had no idea what this walk was going to look like. I imagined wandering in and out of gift shops and artist galleries.

  Paulette had a clearer idea.  We wandered through the Kona Inn center. First, we went back into the area that once must have been the Kona Inn. It looked shabby and unused. A visiting friend once peered back there and commented on the low-income housing. When it told him it was the rooms for the inn, he said he would never stay there. It seems he was right; no one does. While the rooms didn't look good, the heavily shaded area with plants was enchanting.

  Paulette and I continued walking along checking out the shops. Paulette looked into empty ones and remembered what used to be there.  She was familiar with the walk. I had never been here before.

   We passed a shop selling skin care. A saleswoman gave me a sample of something from a dish sitting on a table by the entrance. I noticed a large, white, shiny machine inside. What could that have to do with skincare? I asked. It was a full-body infrared machine. I have no idea how it worked. I was familiar with the positive effect of that light. It's used to reduce inflammation.  While the machine was interesting, the real lure was the view out the back window.

   It was a standard double-hung window with a view of the waves lapping on the ocean's shore. I'm a sucker for nature and for framed views. I love Magritte's work. The saleswoman was warm and engaging. I'm not usually a sucker for sales pitches, but the combination of her personality, the mysterious, beautiful white machine in the middle of an otherwise bare store, and that view out the back of the building was too much; I was overcome. I wasn't planning to buy anything. I'm not a compulsive buyer. I was enjoying the ambiance.  The only downside was I'd lost Paulette, who continued down the strip checking out shops. Then she appeared by my side.

  The saleswoman invited us in. She asked me to bare the inside of my right arm. She applied an exfoliant. She rubbed it in. I could see the skin peel off. Little nubs of dead skin appeared as she rubbed. It reminded me of when I would get the same t effect on my knees or feet as a kid. The buildup of dead skin wasn't an issue then. At eighty-three, it is.  The skin on my face always felt soft and silky until recently.

  The saleswoman asked if she could apply something to under my eyes to reduce puffiness and redness. Sure. I couldn't see much difference in my eyes. I don't have puffy eyes. Paulette has had them since birth.  The treatment made a big difference to her eyes.

  The saleswoman gave us the price for the three items she used on us, the exfoliant, the stuff that reduced the puffiness and wrinkles around our eyes, and something supplying nutrients for the skin, telling us that the products would last a year. She told us the original price, $800, $1250, and $400, and what she was offering it for. We were not good customers. 

   "You know I can give it to you for less. The cruise ship that was supposed to come in today never arrived." We were still reluctant. We weren't putting on an act. We were genuinely reluctant. I was more susceptible than Paulette, although I don't think the saleswoman realized that. I was without a shred of makeup up, wearing my usual ragtag outfit. Not a good candidate for a beauty treatment.  The saleswoman took off another $100 because we were Kamaaina, which means children of the land; in other words, we weren't visitors but residents. I bought first. Paulette gave in, too. 

    Besides the products, we were each entitled to a free red light facial treatment. We scheduled it for next Friday. Paulette and I will have another day out. The saleswoman told us we would pass another of their shops further down the strip and to tell the person there we were scheduled for red light treatments. I didn't quite understand why we had to do this until we arrived.

 As we approached the shop, a man came out to greet us. We were recognizable by the shopping bags we were carrying emblazoned with the brand's logo. He invited us into the shop to show us where we would get the treatment. I was disappointed it wasn't in the first shop. This one was dark, with no view of the ocean. Boy, am I a sucker for a good view!

  Paulette and I continued on our way. She was looking for a specific shop, a quilt store. She wasn't sure of the name. I looked it up on the Internet. Quilt Passion. But how to find it. I turned on my GPS. A woman came up and asked if we needed help. She knew where the quilt shop was and pointed us in the right direction. From her demeanor, I thought she took us for tourists. I looked at her, smiled, and said, "We're Kamaaina (island residents.)" She looked a bit confused and said, "I'm Kamaaina." I chuckled and said, "I know." The confusion was funny since Paulette and I have lived here for over 10 years a piece.

 We finally found the shop after we asked in a nearby shop. It was tucked back from the road. The store carried local fabric patterns and skeins of wool in luscious colors. It was a treat to be in the store. Paulette was looking for it to knit herself a sweater or shawl. She didn't find anything she wanted.

  Afterward, we went looking for a place to grab lunch. We looked at menus as we passed one restaurant after another. Paulette couldn't find anything she wanted. I pushed for Papa Kona's. I love the view and have had good food there before. I ordered a vegetarian something. It didn't say it was an omelet. I was disappointed when it arrived. The taste was worse. It was oversalted.

  I was home in time for the Twins.  Twin E. chose to work on the sight word list, which means working on memory. As usual, she had problems with the word even, but this time, she didn't read it as every. She stopped herself. That's a big step. Twin A wasn't available. She was already asleep. These kids get up super early and come home from school exhausted.

  I have been watching the daily videos on Gokhale. Good god. They aren't very good- at least not for me. Several have talked about turnout. The emphasis is on the feet. Only one presenter focused on the position of the knees in relation to the feet, which is vital. She showed a picture of her mother climbing a step with lines drawn on her foot, shin bone, and upper leg bone. You could see they were not aligned. After training, her mother aligned them. I still haven't heard anyone refer to the hip turnout as necessary to get that alignment or when walking.